September 1979 – April 1978: Chartered to European Ferries for their Felixstowe – Zeebrügge route.

April 1974 – September 1978: A repeat bareboat charter to Marine Atlantic, North Sydney, Canada took place which saw her return to North Sydney – Port Aux Basques. From there she was chartered to Hellas Ferries, Piraeus, Greece where she renamed HELLAS and operated from Volos to Lattakia (Syria).

Andreas Wörteler Collection

September 1978: Left Philadelphia for Amsterdam via Fishguard.

September 4th – 5th 1978: Conducted trials at Fishguard and Rosslare.

November 1978: She was chartered to Hellas Ferries, Piraeus, Greece where she renamed HELLAS and operated from Volos to Lattakia (Syria).

April 1979: Renamed STENA NORDICA

May 10th 1979: Left Lisbon, for North Sydney, Nova Scotia. On arrival she resumed her charter to Marine Atlantic, North Sydney, Canada running between North Sydney – Port Aux Basques.

September 1979 – Janary 1980: Ran a freight only service from Gothenburg to Kiel.

February 1980 – April 1980: Bareboat chartered to Sealink U.K. for their Fishguard – Rosslare service.

She then moved to Hellas Ferries, Piraeus, Greece and was again renamed HELLAS , running between Volos and Lattakia (Syria).

November 18th 1980: Suffered major engine problems and arrived at Cork for repairs. Unfortunately she could not be repaired and was floated to Odyssey Works, Birkenhead where the necessary repairs were carried out. She returned to service between Rosslare and Pembroke Dock on February 2nd, 1981.

April 24th 1981: She ran aground outside Milford Haven owing to engine failure, but was refloated without damage.

May 6th 1981 – October 1981: Chartered to Marine Atlantic, North Sydney, Canada. for their North Sydney – Port Aux Basques route. Also in October she was chartered to Hellas Ferries, Piraeus, Greece, renamed HELLAS and introduced between Volos – Lattakia (Syria).

Ton Grootenboer Collection

February 1982: Refitted at Vlissingen, she was renamed STENA NAUTICA.

February 1982: Chartered to Regie voor Maritiem Transport (RMT), Ostend, Belgium. At this time she was also registered to Nautica Ltd, Ostend, Belgium so there was a legal argument between her owners (Stena) and C N Marine (Canada) for whom she had previously operated . The action finally over the vessel sailed to Ostend.

July 1984: Sealink UK Ltd had been de-nationalised and purchased by the Bermuda-based Sea Containers the new owners immediately began a general reappraisal of all their services. (including its intention of taking on 50% of all the traffic on the Dover-Ostend route. This was just too much for the Belgians who now entered in to negotiations with Townsend Thoresen and an agreement was concluded on October 25th, 1985. The agreement with Townsend Thoresen (The European Ferries Group) was duly passed on to P&O European Ferries in October 1987 and was due to end in December 1990. The Ostend ships all received the Townsend Thoresen orange colours and carried their trading name but this only lasted two years.

December 21st 1985: After refit/overhaul sailed into Dover fully repainted in Townsend colours some 10 days before the official starting date of the new marketing arrangement

May 26th 1985: Ran aground in Ostend, but with help she managed to re-float herself and continued, undamaged, to Dover.

Roy Thornton Collection

February 21st 1987: In a severe storm her bow door was damaged and repairs took place in Antwerp.

1987/88 (refits): A completely new livery, reflecting that carried by the P&O European Ferries fleet, was adopted. For the first time in the history of the Dover-Ostend service, the buff (later changed to a lighter shade of yellow) funnels were painted- out in favour of a shade of blue.

1993: It was announced that the Belgian company did not intend to renew its marketing agreement with P&O European Ferries, but instead concluded a deal with Sally Line. With effect from the following January RMT became known simply as Oostende Lines, transferring all its Ostend services, including Jetfoil operations from Dover to Sally’s homeport at Ramsgate.

August 6th 2001: Collided with the bulk-carrier INDALO in thick fog in Gibraltar sound, none of the 140 passengers on board the AL MANSOUR were injured. Towed to Algeciras where passengers and cargo were disembarked. She then went for repairs.

2009: The French shipping group CMA CGM group sell their interests in Comanav to Balearia of Spain, who in turn sell it on to Comarit for a sum of 80 million euros in February 2009.

January 2012: Comarit-Comanav cease operations due to financial difficulties.

“The Mediterranean ferry company Comanav-Comarit has ceased operating, according to reports from Morocco. Earlier this year, Lloyd’s Loading List reported that three of the privately-owned Moroccan shipping group’s ferries had been impounded at the French Mediterranean port of Sète, because of unpaid bills. In Spain, port authorities prohibited the operation of Comanav-Comarit Boughaz Express ferry service between Tangier and Tarifa for similar reasons. Three other Comanav-Comarit vessels have been impounded in the ports of Algeciras and Tarifa, and the remainder of its fleet is immobilised in Morocco.”

May 27th 2015: Announcement made that she was sold at auction for 702,000 euros. The money raised with the sale was to be be paid to the Treasury, less credits accrued to the APBA for the fees, port charges over the years and the costs of proceedings.

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